Coin chute mechanism



Nov. 17, 1942. R. B. WIGGINS COIN CHUTE MECHANISM Filed March 26, 1938 Bz'vkard .5. Wj'gygm IN V OR.

1175 ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 17, 1942 UNETED STATES PM! F.

time

oerlcs half to Arthur B. Haas, one-half to John W. Myers,

Waukegan, 111., and

Walworth, Wis.

Application March 26, 1938, Serial No. 198,285

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in coin detecting apparatus, and more particularly to fraud prevention means therefor.

One of the particular objects of the invention is a provision of fraud preventive means adapted to prevent the operation of moving parts of a coin slide or the like when an attempt is made to accelerate the movement of said coin slide beyond a reasonable acceleration.

Another object is the combination with a coin handling or detecting mechanism having a reciprocably movable part, of fraud prevention means operable to arrest motion of the movable part when the same is actuated violently or the speed of movement of the movable part is accelerated too quickly.

Another object is the provision in a coin testing device of a type having a reciprocably mov" able control member, of fraud prevention means in the nature of an inertia device operable toarrest the movement of the control member when movement of the same in either of its reciprocable directions is accelerated at greater than a predetermined acceleration.

A more specific object is the provision of a combination operating and fraud preventing means for use with coin testing devices of the type having a reciprocable slide, the operating means including an auxiliary reciprocable member arranged to drive said slide reciprocably, and the fraud preventing means including an inertia member pivoted on the auxiliary member and cooperable with stationary rack means to arrest movement of the slide by engagement with the rack means when movement of the operating means is accelerated at greater than a predetermined acceleration while moving in either direction.

Another object is the provision in a coin testing device having a reciprocable slide and a coin seat upon which coins are lodged subsequent to and as a result of the legitimate operation of the testing device including said slide, of fraud preventing means in the form of a dog arranged to latch an auxiliary operating lever for said slide against movement when there is no coin on the seat.

Yet another object is the combination with a main reciprocable coin slide havin an auxiliary operating slide, of fraud prevention means including a dog arranged for movement by a coin transported by the main slide to free the auxiliary slide for effective movement.

Other objects and novel aspects of the invention reside in particular details of construction and operation of the parts hereinafter to be described in view of the drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a coin testing device employing the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary median side section through the testing device shown in Fig. 2; looking in the direction of line 3-3 thereof;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rear portion of the slide seen in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view of a weight member seen in Fig. l and is taken along line 5 5; thereof; and

Fig. '5 is a horizontal sectional view through a hand control as seen from line -6 in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 2, a preferred embodiment of the invention includes a coin detector or testing device of a type having a reciprocable slide it movable in a main frame member I i provided with a lateral mounting plate I2 adapted to fit against the wall of a cabinet or the like with a forward portion l3 arranged for access exteriorly of the cabinet and having a coin depositing opening or pocket M into which proper coins may be placed into an aperture 54 formed in the slide iii for transport by the slide ii] and cooperating mechanism into engagement with various testing and selecting means, such as the dogs 5, to be lodged in a well I6 preparatory to ejection into a coin receptacle. A coin slide of this type is described in greater detail in United tates Patent 2,082,037 to Tratsch and also in my copending application, Serial No. 175,301 to which reference may be had for further particulars.

Coin testing devices, of the type commonly known as coin slides, are frequently provided with a reciprocable operating or control member such as the slide l0, and while I have chosen this particular type of testing device to illustrate my invention, it is to be specifically understood that the invention is not restricted in its broader aspects to any specific form of coin testing device,

to reduced scale but is broadly applicable to any such device having a movable control or acuating element analogous to the slide Ii], for example.

As will be observed from an examination of the aforesaid patent, it is common practice to provide an operating member or slide with a handle by'which the same can be directly manipulated. However, in the improvement set forth in my aforesaid copending application, I have provided an auxiliary operating attachment for connection with the slide or control whereby the latter is,

in a manner of speaking, indirectly actuated in so far as the operating control or slide is not itself grasped by the patron, and I describe in the aforesaid copending application several preferred means for establishing operative connection between the auxiliary operating attachment and the coin slide.

In the present invention, I have illustrated in Fig. 1 an auxiliary operating attachment similar to that described in my aforesaid copending application, and which includes generally a bracket 18 secured to the exterior of the cabinet adjacent the mounting plate l2 of the coin slide and beneath the exterior portion !3 thereof, said bracket having pivotally mounted thereon as at IS an operating member 22? having a handle 2!. A lever 22 is pivotally mounted on bracket l8 as at 23. A roller 20 is eccentrically mounted on member 29 and extends through an arcuate opening 29a, formed in bracket I8, through a cam slot 22 formed in lever 22 to effect oscillation of the lever 22.

The improved slide actuating mechanism, as seen in Fig. 2, includes an auxiliary drive rod 24, preferably of square cross section, slidably mounted at one side of the coin slide and substantially in the same plane as the latter by means of oppositely facing slotted brackets 25 and 26 secured by any suitable means to the main frame member II, the auxiliary drive rod 24 being extended through the mounting plate l2 along the edge of the outer or forward portion l3 of the mounting plate I2. Thus, it will appear that the bracket members 25 and 25, together with the support of the mounting plate l2, provide a simple, expeditiously assembled and rigid supporting means for the auxiliary drive rod 24.

At its inner end, the operating rod is drivingly connected by pin means 21 to an arm portion 28 on slide [0, while at its outer extremity, the auxiliary drive rod 24 is operatively connected with the lever 22 by means of a link 29 pivotally connected with the end portion of the rod as at 30 and to the upper end portion of the lever 22 such that when the handle structure Zil-Zl is oscillated as before stated the auxiliary drive rod 24 will be moved similarly to effect reciprocation of the slide in for the purposes heretofore mentioned.

It may be observed here that among the advantages of the auxiliary operating means are a greater facility of manipulation of the slide, increased mechanical advantage for operating control mechanisms directly by the slide, and the fact that the exposed or outer portions of the coin slide may be covered by a hood member I3 which. among other advantages, makes it very difficult to insert defrauding instruments into the pocket [4 and also prevents bending the slide.

In order to give the selecting or testing means, such as the dogs I 5, for example, a chance to function properly, it is necessary that the slide l and coacting elements move at a limited rate, it being possible frequently to effect a fraudulent operation of the testing device by violent and rapid actuation of the slide, and this is generally true of most coin testing mechanisms having a movable control member; thus, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a means for preventing such fraudulent operation of these devices, the invention being of general application in this respect and of especial importance when used in combination with an auxiliary operating control, such as described in conjunction with Fig. 1 herein for the reason or more of the teeth 4|.

that the greater mechanical advantage of such an auxiliary device may subject the coin testing mechanism to greater stresses and loads.

The anti-fraud mechanism, as seen in Fig. 2, includes an inertia member mounted for oscillatory swinging movement on the auxiliary drive rod 24 and intended to swing into a position to lock with a stationary means when the auxiliary drive rod 24 is accelerated too rapidly.

In the present embodiment, the inertia member is shown in the form of a substantially triangular weight pivotally mounted by means 35 on the outer side of the auxiliary drive rod 24 between the rod supporting brackets 25 and 25. The pair of stop pins 31 and 38 are mounted on opposite sides of the pivotal mounting 36 of the inertia member or weight, so as to limit the pivotal movement of the latter in opposite directions.

In the present embodiment, the triangular shape of the inertia member 35 is designed to provide corner formations 39 and 40 in the nature of locking teeth disposed at the opposite corners of the base of the triangle or weight and receivable in any of a series of rack teeth 4| provided along the edge of a horizontal plate portion 42 constituting a part of the bracket structure 25 2t and affixed to the bottom of the main frame I I.

It will be apparent that if the auxiliary drive rod 24 is moved at a uniform rate, the inertia member 35 will remain pendent with its baseor bottom edge 43 substantially parallel to the plane of the horizontal plate portion 42 so that neither of the stopping or tooth formations 39 or 40 will engage in the rack teeth 4|.

However, should the auxiliary drive rod 24 be violently manipulated as by giving it a sudden and rapid motion (toward the right in the figures) in an effort to drive it through its operating stroke against the restraint of the latch dog mechanism, the inertia member 35 due to its inertia will pivot in a clockwise direction so that the right-hand stopping tooth or corner formation 40 thereof will be disposed to drag over one Continued movement of the rod 24 will cause the pin member 38 to bear against the edge 44 of the inertia member with the result that the tooth formation 4!! will jam in one of the teeth 4| and prevent further movement of the auxiliary drive rod 24.

The foregoing control over acceleration of movement of the coin slide and auxiliary drive rod 24 is also effective when the slide is moved in the reverse or restorative direction, that is, toward the left. the operation of the inertia member 35 being identical with that heretofore described with the exception that it turns in an anticlockwise direction and is stopped in jamming position by the other stop pin 31.

Another of the advantages peculiar to the present invention resides in the fact that the fraud preventive means, jams or securely restrains the slide and operating members against further movement once such movement has been arrested and so long as the driving force remains applied thereto; nevertheless, as soon as the driving force is released, the jamming or restraining action of the fraud preventive means is likewise released so that if no injury has been done to' other parts of the mechanism, the coin slide or tester may be operated thereafter in a legitimate manner, provided a proper coin or token has been deposited therein. In this manner, the invention makes possible a control which will restrain not only deliberate attempts to defraud the device,

but also improper operation of the same due to carelessness or haste.

A sensitivity adjustment is provided for the inertia member whereby its inertia reaction may be regulated to predetermine the excess of operating speed at which the auxiliary drive rod 24 must move before the fraud preventive means becomes operatlve. This adjustment means in the present embodiment is in the form of a threaded member or screw 45 threaded into a side of the weight 35 at a point offset with respect to its center of gravity and to project laterally from the body various adjustable distances. The adjusting means 45 is provided with a head portion. since in heavy duty installations, it may be necessary to augment the weight of the inertia member by hanging weight members, such as Washers 45 or the like, on the member 45; one of such washers 45' being shown in position on the screw 45 in Fig. 5.

The invention includes additional fraud preventive means, especially applicable to the type of coin testing device shown in Fig. 2 herein and as described in my aforesaid application and in the Tratsch patent, where the latter type of coin slide includes an auxiliary drive rod equivalent to the auxiliary drive rod 24 herein.

Referring to Fig. 3, a testing dog 59 is pivotally mounted as at 5! to a suitable lug 52 on the main frame H. This do pivots in a vertical plane and has a testing nose E13 normally disposed by the effort of spring means 54 into the path of movement of a coin carried in the coin pocket M of the main coin slide it when the latter is moved inwardly on the first half of its reciprocatory stroke. If the coin be of a proper thickness and not perforated, it will bear against the nose of the dog and pivot-the latter upwardly.

Upward pivotal movement of the dog 5!] raises a. horizontally ofifset latch arm 55 forming part of the dog soas to withdraw the depending latch nose 56 thereof from a normal position where it would be urged into the detent slot 51 in the auxiliary drive rod 24, when the latter is moved inwardly.

Attention is called to the fact that the coin slide Hi usually has a limited amount of free-play or idling movement, and the detent notch 51 is positioned so that the dog will engage therein when the auxiliary drive rod 24 is moved inwardly in idle stroke movement, the spring means 54 normally effecting such operation,

An additional anti-fraud safeguard and one cooperable with an auxiliary drive rod such as the auxiliary drive rod 24, includes a coin seat dog 63 pivotally mounted as at ti on the lug 52 for movement in a vertical plane at one side of the auxiliary drive rod 26, like the dog 56. The seat has a detent nose t2 which is normally urged down against the upper surface of the auxiliary drive rod 24 for engagement in a detent slot or hole 63 in the latter, this latter urgence being effected by a spring 6 (Fig. 3) anchored at its lower end to the frame and at its upper end to the horizontal portion of an offset feeler finger 65 connected to dog 693 for movement therebyv The finger 55 has a vertically depending por tion 56 projecting down into the coin well iii. As coins are transported rearwardly by the main slide l0. they are ejected into the well it where they rest on a ledge 61 (Fig. 3) until another coin is subsequently deposited and the slide ill moved inwardly as before. Mounted beneath the main slide ii] is a secondary slide 68 having a coin objects of the invention, it

opening normally registered with the well l6 so that a coin will rest therein on the bottom ledge 61.

The main slide In (Fig. 4) has an elongated slot 69 into which a coupling pin 10 projects freely from the secondary slide 68, the arrangement being such that the main slide l0 has considerable freedom of movement before a shoulder projection Eta along the slot 69 engages the pin ill to move the secondary slide along with the main slide for the rest of the latters stroke. The two slides are relatively arranged to cooperate so that as the main slide moves a coin into the well Hi, the secondary slide 68 moves the previously deposited coin off of the bottom ledge 61'.

The free end Elia. of the vertical portion. 6-6 of the feeler 55 normally bears down upon a coin in the well so as to raise the dog Bit into inefiective position and permit free movement of the auxiliary drive rod 24-.

As coins are moved by the main slide into the well they bear edgewise against the vertical leg 65 of the feeler and earn the latter to pivot the dog 68 into ineffective position while the previously deposited coin is ejected from the ledge 6? at the bottom of the well.

Thus, the novel fraud preventive means exerts a direct control over the auxiliary operating attachment itself, through cooperation with the coin handling mechanism of the slide, and this is important not only because the auxiliary operating attachment is relatively more sturdy than the coin handling mechanism, but the restraining control is exerted directly upon the driven element, that is, the auxiliary operating attachment. itself so that the likelihood of fraudulently forcing the operationof the coin slide because of lost motion and momentum advantages to be gained through the mechanical cooperation of the coin. handling mechanism and auxiliary operating attachment, is greatly minimized.

While I have described in particular detail a preferred means for accomplishin the several will be apparent that various modifications and rearrangements may be made therein for accomplishing such objects, all without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, and I do not therefore wish to be restricted to any details of construction or operation except as. may be provided hereinafter in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a reciprocable operating member, acceleration regulating means including a pendent inertia member attached to said operating member, stationary means providing stopping formations engageable by said inertia member when the latter is moved into opposite positions responsive to operation of said operating member at greater than a predetermined acceleration, and stop means arranged on said operating member on opposite sides of said inertia member, one of which will be engaged by the latter when the operating member is moved at greater than a predetermined acceleration, whereby the latter will be caused to lock in said stopping formations and arrest movement of said operating member.

2. The combination with a coin testing device having a reciprocable operating element, of fraud preventive means in the form of a weight member in the form of a triangle mounted for swinging movement at its apex on said operating element, and stationary stopping means arranged along the path of movement of said weight member when said operating element is reciprocated, said weight member being pivotable in opposite directions to engage said stopping means when said operating element is moved at greater than a predetermined acceleration, and stopping means mounted on opposite sides of the weight member on said operating element for engagement with the weight member to limit the pivotal movement of the same relative to the operating element when the weight member is engaged with the stationary stopping means in the manner aforesaid.

3. In a coin testing device including a frame member and a slide mounted for reciprocation in said frame member, the combination of a fraud-preventive device including an auxiliary drive rod coacting with said first-mentioned slide, a pendent weight member pivotally mounted on said auxiliary drive rod, and means on the latter for limiting the pivotal movement of said weight member in opposite directions, means attached to said frame and providing a plurality of stopping elements in the path of said weight member therebelow, said weight element having stopping portions engageable with said stopping elements when the Weight member is pivoted to the limit of its pivotal movement as aforesaid when said auxiliary drive rod is moved at greater than a predetermined acceleration, whereby to prevent further movement of said auxiliary drive rod at said greater acceleration, said weight member moving in a path out of engagement with said stopping elements when said auxiliary drive rod is moved at less than said predetermined acceleration.

4. A coin slide including a mounting frame,

a reciprocable slide mounted therein, a stationary stopping member attached to said frame and having an intermediate portion disposed in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of said slide, and opposite upstanding oifset end portions, a driving rod slidably mounted in slot formations in said upstanding oifset end portions for reciprocable movement above said intermediate portion, the latter having a plurality of stopping formations arranged in a series extending in the direction of movement of said drive rod, a triangularly shaped Weight member pivotally mounted in the region of its apex to said driving rod so as to have a base portion movable in a normal path above said stopping teeth when said drive rod is reciprocated at a predetermined acceleration, the corner portions at opposite ends of said base portion being engageable with said stopping teeth when said weight member is pivoted in opposite directions out of said normal path of movement by inertia reaction responsive to a predetermined acceleration of said drive rod in excess of said predetermined acceleration, and abutment means on said drive rod on opposite sides of said weight member for engagement with the latter when the weight member corner portion is engaged in any of the teeth as aforesaid, whereby to jam said drive rod against continued movement at said excessive acceleration.

5. The combination with a control device having a reciprocable operating element, a speed regulating means in the form of a weight member pivotally mounted on said operating element and pivotable limited amounts in opposite directions away from a normal path of movement when said operating element is moved with greater than a predetermined acceleration, stationary stopping means arranged along said path of movement of the weight member, said weight member moving along said normal path out of engagement with said stopping means to permit freedom of movement of the operating element in either direction when movement of said operating element is accelerated less than a predetermined acceleration, said stationary stopping means being engageable by said weight member to arrest movement of the same and said operating element when the weight member is pivoted to its limit as aforesaid.

6. In an inertia-responsive stopping device for coin-controlled mechanism having a reciprocable coin slide, operating means for said coin slide in the form of an elongated member slidable in the direction of said coin slide, stationary stop means, movable stopping means pivoted on said operating member for oscillation in the plane of reciprocation of the latter and in spaced relation to said stationary means, means on said operating member for limiting the movement of said movable stopping means in opposite di rections, said movable stopping means being disposed by action of the force of gravity in a normal position when said operating member is moved at a predetermined acceleration and being pivoted by reaction due to its own moment of inertia responsive to movement of said operating member at greater than said predetermined acceleration into a position for stopping engagement with said stationary means, whereby to prevent further movement of said operating member.

RICHARD B. WIGGINS. 

